Predicting the betting line of every LA Chargers game in 2022
By Jason Reed
Week 2: Chargers (+3) at Chiefs
The Chargers should open the season with a win over the Raiders as the Chiefs have a game that could go either way against the Arizona Cardinals in Week 1. Regardless of that outcome, the Chiefs will likely be a three-point favorite in this game. It is typically accepted that home teams get three points on the spread and Vegas will respect the Chargers enough to put them on the same level as Kansas City.
Week 3: Jaguars at Chargers (-14.5)
I predicted the Chargers to beat the Chiefs in our game-by-game predictions article (something I will call back on multiple times in this article), which will obviously raise the Chargers' stock. Meanwhile, even if the Jaguars can beat either Washington or Indy in Week 1 or 2, they will still have one of the lowest stocks in the league. In theory, the Chargers' stock will be very high, leading to a huge early-season line.
Week 4: Chargers (-10.5) at Texans
The Texans' ceiling at this point of the season is realistically a 1-2 record but that won't change the fact that they are one of the worst teams in the league. They will probably be viewed a bit more favorably than Jacksonville. Houston does not get as big of home-field advantage and if this game was in LA I think it would be a 13.5-point line. Instead, in Houston, the Chargers are favored by 10.5.
Week 5: Chargers (-7) at Browns
This guess is under the impression that Deshaun Watson will not be playing this game. If not, the Chargers should absolutely be touchdown favorites on the road against Jacoby Brissett. However, if Watson is playing this game then the Browns are probably 2.5-point favorites at home. That is how much Watson is worth.